Silent Lights is an architectural series of gates that frames a pedestrian pathway by day showing constant movement through shadows. It transforms sound into patterns of light at night as it mimics movement with led lights, reflecting and interpreting movement and sound. There are no blind spots, the path is always lit and each gate responds to create a dynamic installation. Cars drive by, microphones pick up the sound from traffic, a computer processes the sound and triggers each gate to light up sequentially. As noise increases, the light from each gate intensifies.

It is located on an isolated, pedestrian path under the Brooklyn Queens Expressway on the median of 9th Street and Hamilton Avenue. The path is one of few connecting Red Hook, Brooklyn to the nearest point of public transportation – the Smith and 9th Street stop of the G subway train.

Our project offers members of the community both on and off the path the opportunity to share an experience of light and beauty originating from the loud noise. We want to create a reason to connect, provide a safer commute and give people the chance to slow down, interact with our project and smile. We are collaborating with the IT consulting firm Control Group and the local organization Red Hook Initiative to use our project as a platform to introduce design, technology and physical computing to local teens. They will learn how to create lighting systems, produce their own programs and test each one out on the actual installation.